


Friendly Fire

by KatieComma



Series: Uncle Steve Ficlets [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, Ohana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-24 00:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15618846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieComma/pseuds/KatieComma
Summary: Season 8 Episode 7 - Steve has just killed a cop, is grieving and takes off to deal with it. Where does he go? To see Danny of course. Danny will help him work through it.





	Friendly Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching this episode today... and Steve is a total wreck and disappears for a while... and I was like: of course he went to see Danny! And then I couldn't get it out of my head and had to write it down.
> 
> It also should be noted that Grace would be about 15/16 at this point I believe.

Danny watched Grace race across the field, dodging other girls and trying to retain control of the soccer ball. She lost it. Again. She’d always been better at baseball.

“That’s alright Gracie!” He yelled from the sidelines. “Pick it up!”

Play returned to the other end of the field and Danny clapped while he shouted encouragement.

Across the field a shiny truck pulled into the parking lot. Steve’s truck. Strange. If there was an emergency or something he would have called first. Danny pulled his phone from his pocket. No texts or missed calls.

When he looked up, Steve was striding across the field toward the game. What was that on his arms? Was that…

Danny bolted around the field and jogged up to Steve. “What’s going on? Everybody alright?” He asked, setting his hand to Steve’s shoulder as he looked over the blood covering Steve’s arms.

“What?” Steve asked, genuinely confused. That’s when Danny noticed just how red his eyes were, and that they looked like they were going to spill tears at any second despite the angry look on his face.

“Come on, come on,” Danny said softly and put a reassuring hand on Steve’s back and led him away from the game. They found an empty picnic table and Steve fell onto the bench immediately like his feet were tired from carrying the weight of the world.

Steve stayed silent.

“You’re covered in blood here,” Danny sat down and put his hand back on Steve’s back. “I asked you if everybody’s ok. Lou? Tani? You gotta give me somethin’.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve’s voice was rough. “The team’s fine.”

“Ok,” Danny waved his hand as though Steve should continue. “So…”

“I shot a cop Danny,” Steve’s voice choked off the end of his sentence, and his face crunched up like he was fighting the emotions with everything he had. He turned his head toward Danny, but wouldn’t look him in the eye. “He’s dead.”

Danny was silent for a moment. He needed more information but Steve looked like he was going to break any second, and Danny wasn’t sure what questions to ask to avoid that. Or maybe he shouldn’t avoid it, maybe it would be best if Steve broke down, got it out of his system.

“Well, I don’t know the situation but I do know you,” Danny started, “and if there was another way-”

“I didn’t have a visual,” Steve cut him off, and looked Danny in the eye with those red, tear filled eyes that were angry, but only angry with himself. “I didn’t have a visual and I shot anyway. I didn’t call out to let him know I was Five-0 and I didn’t have a visual. And I shot anyway.” Steve put his forearms to his knees and hung his head like he was trying to avoid a panic attack.

“Listen Steve,” Danny said. “I gotta say I don’t know the whole story, but I do know you. You were doing what you had to do.”

“Yeah. Right,” Steve muttered, and sat back up, looking out at the field. “What I had to do. And now a cop is dead. What do I tell his family Danny? What if that had been Lou? Or Tani? Or you? I have never killed a man with friendly fire. Never.” He paused and pinched his lips together, still warring with that emotion eating away at him. “Why now?” The last question was too much for him and his face finally let go.

“Come ‘ere,” Danny said, pulling Steve into a hug. It was awkward with Danny’s arm brace, but he winced and pushed through the discomfort. Steve held on tight, fisting Danny’s shirt in his hands, and buried his face in Danny’s neck. The tears soaked through his t-shirt, but Steve didn’t make a sound. Danny didn’t pat his back, or say anything comforting, he just wrapped his arms tight as he could around Steve and let him get it out.

When Steve finally pulled back, Danny let him go, but kept a hand on his shoulder. Steve wiped at his face and then looked at his hands. They were still covered in dried blood.

“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up,” Danny said.

They grabbed the spare shirt from Steve’s truck. Danny led Steve to the park water fountain farthest away from the game and soaked the bloody t-shirt with water so he could wipe the rest of the blood from Steve’s skin before he pulled on the clean shirt.

“Thanks Danny,” Steve said solemnly as they walked back toward the soccer field.

Everyone was leaving the field and packing up gear. Minivan doors slammed as the cookie cutter families loaded up their kids to head home. Danny had missed the end of the game.

“Uncle Steve!” Grace’s voice echoed across the park as she ran toward them.

Steve’s face transformed in an instant. His eyes were still red, but the ear to ear smile was genuine. “Gracie!” He called out, opening his arms for a hug.

Grace jumped into his arms and he swung her around in a circle before setting her back down. Danny hadn’t been able to lift Grace in such a long time, and now that he had the stupid arm brace on, he definitely had no chance in hell. There were a few things about Steve that made him jealous, that was definitely a big one.

Steve didn’t let her go right away, but kept hugging her. “I really needed that today,” Steve said to her before he let go.

“You ok?” She asked when he stepped back.

“It’s just been a long day,” Steve said. “What about you? Did you guys win?”

Grace’s face fell a little. “Nope. We’re out of the running,” she said.

“Always next year, right?” Steve asked. “We can work on your skills in the off season.”

“You bet,” she said, and waved back toward the field. “I just gotta go pack my stuff up. I’ll be right back.” She trotted back toward the field.

“I love you kiddo,” Steve called to to her as she ran.

“Love you too Uncle Steve!”

Steve’s smile widened a little.

Danny turned toward Steve, and even though he wanted to let it drop, he couldn’t. A little Gracie love could solve a lot of things, but this wasn’t one of them. “Ok. Ok. I gotta backtrack a little here,” Danny said. “This wasn’t your fault Steve. Whatever happened, whoever started all that,” he waved back behind them to imply the situation Steve had been put in. “Put it on them. Focus on finding that guy, cause it’s all on him. If he hadn’t been out there doing whatever he was doing, then you wouldn’t have been put in that position, ok babe?”

Steve folded his arms over his chest and kept watching Grace pack up her gear. His face was stony. The SEAL in him was coming to the forefront and Danny knew that Steve had already come to the same conclusion, that he needed to go find the bad guy and bring him in, put his energy there. But he’d just needed to let the steam blow off a little before he got back to it.

Steve’s cell rang. He looked at Danny for a second before he answered it, and Danny saw the unspoken “thank you” there.

Steve cleared his throat before he answered: “McGarrett.”

Danny jogged over to Grace to offer to help with her bags. But he’d raised her right, and she’d never let him help with his arm in a brace, so she loaded up like a pack mule and they walked toward the Camaro.

Steve joined them on the way.

“They’re bringing in a suspect for interrogation,” Steve said. “I gotta go.”

Grace pouted a little. “I thought you might take us for lunch Uncle Steve,” she said.

“Funny, she’s funny,” Danny said with a wide smile, clapping his daughter on the back.

“You told her to say that didn’t you?” Steve asked.

It almost felt like they were back to normal. Grace and Steve laughing, Danny and Steve bickering. A little happy ohana having a regular day. 

“If I was sticking around I would definitely take you for lunch Grace,” Steve said graciously with a smile. “But I’ve gotta go.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny said. “Convenient.” He turned to Grace. "He doesn't even have his wallet on him. I'd bet him five bucks, but then he wouldn't be able to pay me."

Steve waved off the insult with a chuckle as they parted ways.

Danny watched Steve’s face return to hardened Navy SEAL as he hopped into his truck and reversed. He hoped Steve would get through it, that it wouldn’t haunt him and keep him up at night. And he hoped that if it did, Steve would call Danny and they’d get through it together.

**Author's Note:**

> Episode spoiler alert: the guy wasn't actually a cop, but a bad guy in disguise, so it all worked out.


End file.
